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Contingencies
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2018
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Contingencies

 

6. Contingencies

In addition to the matters described below, in the normal course of its business, the Company is involved in various lawsuits from time to time and may be subject to certain other contingencies. The Company believes any losses related to these matters are individually and collectively immaterial as to a possible loss and range of loss.

Discontinued Operations – Matters Related to Breg and Possible Indemnification Obligations

On May 24, 2012, the Company sold Breg to an affiliate of Water Street Healthcare Partners II, L.P. (“Water Street”). Under the terms of the agreement, the Company indemnified Water Street and Breg with respect to certain specified matters.

At the time of its divestiture by the Company, Breg was engaged in the manufacturing and sales of motorized cold therapy units used to reduce pain and swelling. Several domestic product liability cases were filed, mostly in California state court. In September 2014, the Company entered into a master settlement agreement resolving then pending pre-close cold therapy claims. In May 2018, Breg settled and resolved a post-close cold therapy claim in California state court, Gmeiner v. Breg, Inc. Pursuant to Orthofix’s indemnification obligations to Breg, Orthofix was obligated to make a final payment to its insurer, Berkley Life Sciences, in the amount of $1.7 million, which was the remaining balance on Orthofix’s Self-Insured Retention in its liability insurance policy, to help fund the Breg settlement in the Gmeiner matter.

Charges incurred as a result of this indemnification obligation to Breg are reflected as discontinued operations in the condensed consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income.

Italian Medical Device Payback (“IMDP”)

In 2015, the Italian Parliament introduced rules for entities that supply goods and services to the Italian National Healthcare System. The healthcare law is expected to impact the business and financial reporting of companies operating in the medical technology sector that sell medical devices in Italy. A key provision of the law is a ‘payback’ measure, requiring companies selling medical devices in Italy to make payments to the Italian government if medical device expenditures exceed regional maximum ceilings. Companies are required to make payments equal to a percentage of expenditures exceeding maximum regional caps. There is considerable uncertainty about how the law will operate and what the exact timeline is for finalization. The Company’s current assessment of the IMDP involves significant judgment regarding the expected scope and actual implementation terms of the measure as the latter have not been clarified to date by Italian authorities. The Company accounts for the estimated cost of the IMDP as sales and marketing expense and as of June 30, 2018, the Company has accrued €2.8 million ($3.3 million) related to the IMDP; however, the actual liability could be higher or lower than the amount accrued once the law has been clarified by the Italian authorities.